After discussing the army, Li Ye left Li Hongzhang alone. He wanted to ask about the navy.
When the Ming Navy's huge treasure ship sailed to the West seven times, Colombus was still using a small wooden boat to travel around the world. At that time, the Ming Navy was the number one in the world.
It was a pity that the navy was unable to recover from the setback.
After the Westernization Movement, they began to develop a new navy. Now, they mainly had the Fujian Navy run by Zuo Zongtang and Shen Baozhen, as well as the Beiyang Navy run by Li Hongzhang. As for the others, such as the Nanyang Navy and the Guangdong Navy, they were very weak.
Needless to say, the Beiyang Navy had the strongest lineup in the country. For example, talents like Lin Taizeng, Liu Buchan, Deng Shichang, and Lin Yongsheng who had returned from studying abroad also purchased ironclads.
Unfortunately, in the Mawei Sea Battle between China and France, the Fujian Navy had rushed into battle, and many warships had been destroyed before they could move.
He would never allow such a thing to happen.
"Minister Li, can the three Sachsen-class ironclads, Ding, Zhen, and Ji, return to the country?”Li Ye asked directly.
In the beginning, the Qing government had ordered three Sagsen ships. Later, they did not have enough funds to change them. Li Ye naturally would not let such a thing happen.
"Reporting to the emperor, the ironclad ships of Ding Town will be able to return to the country at the end of the year. Jiyuan will have to wait until the end of next year."
Li Hongzhang was also delighted. With these two ironclads, once they returned to China, it could be said that the Beiyang Navy was the number one navy in Asia.
There wasn't enough time. He couldn't make it in time for the war between China and France. It would take him a few months to return to China at the end of the year.
"How about this, you send someone to inform the people of Dé to speed up the construction of these two ironclads and let them return home early. At the same time, send some navy officers over and let the German navy help us train.”
Li Ye thought that it didn't seem very kind of him to do so, so he added,""If the people of the country are willing to do these things, we can order another Weiyuan.”
Li Hongzhang's eyes lit up as he nodded.："Yes, Your Majesty."
The 50 million taels of silver allocated to the Ministry of Revenue last time had gone into their Northern Navy, so it would not be too much pressure to buy another ship.
"Great Britain has already sent us several notices asking us to purchase ships from them, but I have rejected them. However, this time, they used the terms of equal benefits and asked us to treat them as one.”
Li Hongzhang said with a look of disdain.
"Humph!" Li Ye couldn't help but snort coldly. Suddenly, he thought of something.
"Didn't the Ying people want to sell their ships? The people of Dé brought out the Saxon battleships. If they wanted to take them, they would use the Invincible White battleships.”He thought of this.
Sachsen was the main battleship of the country of Dé, with a displacement of more than 7600 tons, which was 25 times that of the 305mm caliber cannon. The thickness of the armor was more than 350mm. However, the Ivory battleship was even more terrifying. It was the main battleship of the country of Ying, with a displacement of more than 11000 tons, and the thickness of the armor at the back was more than 600mm. However, the 406mm cannon used in the front hall was about the same as the Sachsen 305mm breech cannon.
"It's impossible for us to take out the Invincible White Battleship!”Li Hongzhang sighed.
The western powers restricted the export of capital ships, but the navies of other countries were too strong. They had a special reason for being able to get the Dé country's Saxony.
In history, even during the 1894 - 1895 War, the Japanese could not buy a single battleship.
Li Ye looked at him with a half-smile. Li Hongzhang didn't understand at first, but when he finally reacted, his face flushed red.
" We can't get the White Fleet, but now that Country Ying is eager to compete with Germany, we can get Country Ying to sell us the Boerlai and Orion!”Li Hongzhang said excitedly.
When the government was officially preparing to build a naval fleet, Li Hongzhang's first consideration was not the ironclad ships of the country. He originally wanted to spend more than two million taels of silver to buy the two ironclad ships with a displacement of 4800 tons, the "Boerlai" and the "Orion". However, due to the reason of the Ying country's navy department, no agreement was reached. Then, Li Hongzhang still wanted to order new ironclads from Country Ying, but he still did not succeed!
"However, these two ironclads are priced at 1.2 million taels. The Northern Navy doesn't have much left. "Li Hongzhang didn't stay happy for long before his face darkened.
F * ck, he was thinking of ways to get money!
He was eyeing the 70 million taels of silver that he had just confiscated!
It doesn't cost much to run an industrial and commercial bureau, but the Machine Bureau, the new army, and the navy need money. This money is spent like water. I still have to run schools, banks, and send overseas students.
However, the Ying Country could be said to be in charge of the Ying Country's warship. It was almost impossible for them to take it out. The European powers had always had a lot of restrictions on the sale of battleships. For example, in history, Japan had never been able to buy battleships and could only use cruisers as their main warships. The construction of Ding Town could only be said to be an accident.
"How about this, I'll give you another five million taels to buy more cannonballs so that the Ying people can move faster. Also, we can't always rely on the foreigners to build warships. We have to learn how to build our own warships and ironclads. Send more people to supervise the construction of the Jiyuan and let our technicians learn more from others. Li Fengbao should also contact the people of the Dé country's Vulcan Shipyard. Don't always think about filling your own pockets. If possible, buy the entire shipyard. They're about to go bankrupt…Get lost!”
Li Ye glared at Li Hongzhang so fiercely that Li Hongzhang didn't dare to speak.
"How did the Emperor know that the Vulcan Shipyard in the country of Dé was about to go bankrupt? Li Fengbao is talented, but he is a little bold. I must remind him this time.”Li Hongzhang quickly retreated.
Sure enough, the British quickly agreed to help train the navy and even sent a team of twenty officers to the Northern Navy. The Ying people also sold two ironclads to the Northern Navy under Li Hongzhang's mediation. Of course, this was something to be discussed later…
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